This review has been a long time coming, but my sister recently brought this experience up to me…read moreagain, and I felt it was important to finally share my perspective.
My sister hired Emily Gaikowski of Heartthrob Events as her wedding planner and then some, and unfortunately, the experience left a lot to be desired.
My sister is a very kind and reserved person who generally avoids confrontation, so she would probably never feel comfortable writing a review like this herself. As her family member who witnessed and experienced what happened throughout the wedding process, I feel it's important to share my perspective.
One of my biggest concerns was Emily Gaikowski's communication style. There were several occasions where it felt like she was talking at people rather than to them. For a wedding planner--especially one presenting their company as a luxury event-planning service--I believe professionalism, communication, accountability, and the way you treat your clients and their families are extremely important.
There were also multiple mishaps surrounding my sister's wedding that, in my opinion, should have been anticipated, communicated, or handled by the wedding planner. The entire reason someone hires a professional planner is to have someone managing the details, solving problems, and taking responsibility when things don't go according to plan. Unfortunately, that was not consistently our experience.
What was particularly disappointing was the disconnect between the luxury image being presented publicly and what we experienced personally. In my opinion, how a wedding professional speaks about and treats their clients when they believe the clients aren't listening says a lot about their professionalism and character.
I understand that no wedding is ever going to be completely perfect, and mistakes can happen. What matters is how those mistakes are handled. Unfortunately, I did not feel that the communication, accountability, or overall handling of the problems met the standard I would expect from a luxury wedding planner.
Based on our experience, I would strongly encourage couples to do more than simply read the positive online reviews. Speak with previous clients directly, ask detailed questions about how problems were handled, and make sure the planner's communication style is a good fit for you.
For our family, this was not the level of service we expected, and I would personally recommend looking at other wedding planners and events before choosing Heartthrob Events.
DO NOT USE HEARTTHROB WEDDING AND EVENTS!!!